For those of you who don't know, Clahclehlah was a Native American village for the Cascade Chinooks that was located at the present site of the Bonneville Dam's second powerhouse. Very little, and I mean very little has been written on the village. Lewis and Clark both mentioned it since they stopped and stayed there, I had a professor from Missouri email what information she had from a report she had written and I have found excerpts about it in a couple of books that date back to the 1950's. I have no rhyme or reason for it, but I am VERY drawn to this village and have been wanting to research and write about it for a long, long time. (2 years long....) I thought a few months ago that I had found a whole book on the topic at the library for the Army Corp of Engineers but was told that it was classified and I would have to get permission. Needless to say, I have heard nothing since. So imagine my surprise when I look over and there is a small, old, 3 ring binder with sticker letters along the side spelling out Clahclehlah. I want it, I need it, I must read it. It is now officially on my bucket list. I shouldn't be surprised though because the interpretive center is the best place to get that info. They even have a display on Clahclehlah set up there. (See picture below).
Not to mention they have a vast array of information and displays on the Cascade Chinooks and the Corridor of Commerce. They have now just become my favorite place in the whole world. So of course, my agenda today includes calling and seeing what day is best for me to come in and read this little jewel front to back. I really wanna write a book on it that other people can access. I am so dismayed at times by the lack of books I find on this area. Many of the ones that are written are academic in nature. Its time to have something that appeals to the general public. And there's no topic that I love more than the Cascade Indians.
Speaking of which...
Before I spazed out over a book (happens more often than is probably normal) I was reading a pioneers account of the Native American attack by the Yakima tribe on a local settlement. As I was reading along, I came across a very short paragraph about the fact that when the military arrived to help out the settlers, they rowed out to an island, rounded up all of the Indians, took over the place and held them all prisoner. The pioneer writer did not say that these Indians were apart of the battle, just that the island was where they lived and they were taken hostage. Later on during the letter, I read that these natives were of the Cascade Indian Tribe, NOT the Yakima. Among them was Chef Chenoweth. (Sorry! I looked for a photo of him and was unable to locate anything).
Now in the past I have read that Chenoweth was hung because he and his people violated a treaty. According to the letter I was now reading, that was what he was charged with by the military men who were hanging him. But at NO TIME did the pioneer state that the Cascades participated in the raid. The entire time, he stated it was the Yakima Nation that was responsible. As a matter of fact, from numerous other books I have read on the subject, the Cascade Indians were actually friendly with the settlers and helped them out. So, I was confused a little bit about this and hoping that I wasnt really reading what I thought I was reading, which turned out to be the case. Let me explain.
First thought after I read this was, "OMG! They hung him and 7 other men from the Cascades just because they were Indians! Not because they participated in the raid! Why would anyone with a shred of decency do such a horrific thing?" Of course as an Anthropologist, I know why but sometimes I like to block that knowledge because it sucks what we did to innocent people. I finished the article hoping I was wrong and moved on. Next folder was a stack of obituaries on the Underwood family, including Chef Chenoweth's granddaughter, who was an Underwood. Included as her obituary was a telling of her life and her connection with Chenoweth and how he was hung for violating a treaty he did not violate, in place of the Yakima Indians that were not captured. Needless to say, I wanted to bang my head on the table. I hate, HATE reading stories like this. Really!! How barbaric can people get? We profess justice but yet we hand down injustice. One of my biggest soap boxes of all time.
Hence, my purpose in writing this blog with Chenoweth in mind. If you think that he was guilty and hung for treaty violation justly, then you have been misinformed. As far as any records I have read (granted I admit, I have probably not read everything...but I have read a lot...a...lot...) Chef Chenoweth was the head of the Cascade Tribe and was a great man who sought to not only protect the interests of his own people (which he had every right to do) but also worked with the settlers helping them during their times of need while attempting to survive in the still untamed Pacific Northwest. He was not a criminal. He did not commit any crime that would have justified being hung. Period. End of story. You have evidence otherwise...prove it. Im from Missouri...we have a saying down there..."show me." I have not found anything to suggest otherwise.
Sigh* I will step off my soap box now and move on. One day I may write a book on the Cascade Indians too, or include that in my book on Clahclehlah. Either way, these are all subjects that I am greatly passionate about. I hope this post stirs up a curiosity in you too!
Check out the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Centers Exhibits page...heck...better yet...stop in for a visit sometime. (link)
Happy Reading!
Rachel B.
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